GEORGE ZIMMERMAN TRIAL

What with saturation coverage on both CNN and MSNBC I have watched quite a bit of the Zimmerman trial.  I am no lawyer, but it seems to me that George Zimmerman deserves at least a manslaughter verdict as the policeman Chris Serino said,* if not the 2nd degree murder that he is charged with.  I don't know if the jury will have the opportunity to change the verdict to manslaughter.

Both witnesses to what was going on, if in the dark and at a distance, say that there was a physical altercation although they differ on who was on top.  At least there was a fight going on.  And one should remember that the "stand-your-ground" provision applies as much to Trayvon Maritn as it did to Zimmerman.  In spite of Martin's comments to the contrary, the courses he took in police work showed he did know all about "stand-your-ground."

Although it hasn't been brought up, the injury to the back of Zimmerman's head could have easily happened in the fall at the beginning of the fight.  Six weeks after a hip replacement, I stepped up on a curb with my weak leg.  It collapsed, and down I went hitting my head on the pavement,.  I suffered a much more severe injury to the  back of my head than Zimmerman that is still not totally healed after 18 months.  Zimmerman might even banged the side of his head in trying to defend himself.  As the medical examiner said, the injuries were not life threatening.  So I am not sure that Martin was banging his head against the pavement.  But rightly or wrongly, Zimmerman might have thought his life was in danger which is why he shot Trayvon Martin; however I think he way overdid it and deserves some sort of conviction.

* http://abcnews.go.com/2020/george-zimmerman-recalled-trayvon-martin-gosh/story?id=19543886#.UdRF19uF9rw  Note added July 5th:  I has been said that the judge has the authority to let the jury come in with a lesser charge if the jury requests it and the judge may even say so in his instructions to the jury.